English newsbook printing

Timeline

1. 1650–1655London · LondonIn 1650, Marchmont Nedham founded Mercurius Politicus with the authorization of the Commonwealth government, published weekly, and it became the official mouthpiece of the state. The paper reported on parliamentary legislation, overseas wars, and diplomatic affairs, while suppressing public opinion directed at Royalists and religious dissenters. The printing licensing system required all publications to be approved by censors, thereby bringing news production firmly under state control; between 1649 and 1655 the number of legal newsbooks in London was compressed to a handful.
2. 1655–1659London · LondonIn 1655 Protector Cromwell tightened printing controls, consolidating the official newsbooks into two titles, Mercurius Politicus and The Public Intelligencer, both edited by Nedham. Meanwhile, underground printings, political satirical pamphlets, and religious dissent publications circulated widely, forming an adversarial public discourse. After Cromwell's death in 1659 and the collapse of the Protectorate government, printing controls suddenly loosened, and political factions of all kinds rushed to publish, laying the groundwork for the great flourishing of the press after the Restoration of 1660.